5/6/12

At our 5:00 Mass this weekend, for the first time in my parish, we celebrated a Quinceañera for Cady and Juliana (with their parents in the photo above). What’s a Quinceañera? Among Spanish-speaking countries and among many Hispanics in the United States there is the custom of celebrating the passage from childhood to adolescence with a ritual that expresses thanksgiving to God for the gift of life and asks for a blessing from God for the years ahead. Although customarily celebrated by girls, there are instances of boys celebrating this rite of passage as well.

This prayer which a girl offers at her Quinceañera sums up well the meaning of this celebration:

Heavenly Father,

I thank you for the gift of life,

for creating me in your image and likeness

and for calling me to be your daughter through baptism.

Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to save me

and your Holy Spirit to sanctify me.

To that which in your goodness and love you will for me,

I say, “Yes.”

With your grace I commit myself

to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ all my life.

Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, I dedicate myself to you.

Since you are my model of faith,

help me to continue learning from you

what I need to be a Christian woman.

Help me to hear the Word of God as you did,

holding it in my heart and loving others, so that,

as I walk with Jesus in this life,

I may worship him with you in all eternity.

Amen.

• For more information on theQuinceañera, see these 15 FAQ's on the US Bishops' page.

Word for Holy Week

Click on the bible for the readings for Holy Week and some notes to help you understand them.

A Blessing for Lent

Click above for a sung Lenten blessing

Lent 2015

For a pocket cross with this scripture verse, send a stamped self-addressed envelope to Concord Pastor, 55 Church Street, Concord, MA 01742

Music for Winter Prayer

(Click on the image for a prayer)

href="http://ekaterinasfluff.com/album/the-keys-of-e">The Keys of E by Ekaterina

A daily prayer

A song and prayer for Lent

I need a clean heart this Lent, Lord, so in these 40 days I pray you'll: sweep, dust, cleanse, mend, repair, forgive, purify and strengthen this heart of mine... And because I need a new spirit within me, Lord, I pray you'll: renew my listless spirit, lift up my drooping spirit, rekindle my burned-out spirit, open up my selfish spirit, refresh my failing spirit, energize my tired spirit, pardon my sinful spirit and put a right spirit within me, within this heart of mine...

Are you thinking about becoming a Catholic?

The best place to start is always one of your local Catholic churches. Drop in some Sunday and see what's going on. Then you might speak to the pastor or someone on the parish staff about how they can help you and respond to your questions.